HYSTERIA

HYSTERIA (1965). Director: Freddie Francis.

One of Jimmy Sangster's worst scripts is the main problem of this silly pseudo-thriller in which an American (Robert Webber) traveling from France to England winds up losing his memory in an auto crash. The dead driver's widow, Denise (Lelia Goldoni), arranges for his treatment in a clinic and for him to stay in her luxury apartment. Trying to summon up comparisons with Psycho, there's some business with a bloodied knife and then a corpse being found in or near a shower stall with the water running and so on -- but this is no Psycho and doesn't even come close. The film never works up more than the mildest of suspense as it tries to make you wonder who Webber really is and how he fits in with Denise, the dead body, and Dr. Keller (Anthony Newlands), the doctor who's been treating him. Jennifer Jayne from The Crawling Eye plays Gina, a nurse and romantic interest. A riot of loose ends and stupid contrived murder "plots," Hysteria is simply tedious and terrible and never makes much sense. Goldoni had a better role in Theatre of Death a couple of years later. Sue Lloyd of Corruption briefly plays a zesty French hooker. Dan Banks' jazzy score is pretty bad.

Verdict: Unmemorable British thriller. *1/2. 

MANIAC (1963)

MANIAC (1963). Director: Michael Carreras. 

Jeff Farrell (Kerwin Mathews, of 7th Voyage of Sinbad fame), is vacationing in France when he comes across an inn run by a pretty young woman, Annette (Liliane Brousse), and her stepmother, Eve (Nadia Gray). Jeff romances both but winds up falling for Eve, who tells him how her husband Georges (Donald Houston of The Flaw) was institutionalized after taking a blow torch to the man who raped his daughter four years before (this is detailed in the prologue). Eve has fallen in love with Jeff and hopes to free the hopefully cured Georges so he can get his life and daughter back, at least, while she goes off with her new love, Jeff. Jeff agrees to help Eve break her husband out of prison, but things go awry when Georges apparently murders the asylum employee who aids him in his escape. Now what do they do? Maniac holds the attention but it has absolutely no style or atmosphere and veteran cinematographer Wilkie Cooper's work is unimpressive. Just about everything about the movie is unconvincing, including the mostly flat acting (especially from Mathews and Gray, who generate little heat) and especially the twist ending, which comes as a surprise but seems to make everything a bit pointless. Jimmy Sangster's [Fear in the Night]  typically convoluted screenplay is not one of his better ones. Like other films, the title was supposed to create an identification with Psycho, but this is nowhere in the same league as Hitchcock's thriller.

Verdict: Watch once and then forget it! **1/4. 

THE NAME OF THE GAME IS KILL

THE NAME OF THE GAME IS KILL (1968). Director: Gunnar Hellstrom.

A Hungarian named Symcha Lipa (Jack Lord) comes to a sleepy desert town and encounters a strange woman (T. C. Jones) and her three daughters, Nan (Tisha Sterling of Betrayal), Diz (Collin Wilcox Paxton), and Mickey (Susan Strasberg), all of whom seem to be keeping secrets. Symcha and Mickey seem to fall in love, but will they get the chance to get out of town and start a new life? The dialogue in Gary Crutcher's screenplay isn't bad, but this is one of those weird "psycho-thrillers" (another with an obvious nod to Psycho) that may have you scratching your head at the end trying to figure out the motivations of the demented characters. The acting is decent -- Lord and Paxton are fine, with Strasberg, and especially Sterling taking top honors. Mort Mills is as professional as ever as the sheriff, but Marc Desmond is poor as the doctor; he had few succeeding credits. T.C. Jones isn't bad either, although many will prefer his Alfred Hitchcock Hour vehicle "An Unlocked Window." Strasberg starred in the more memorable thriller Scream of Fear.

Verdict: This isn't terrible, just half-baked. **1/2. 

THE FAN (1981)

Michael Biehn and Lauren Bacall

THE FAN (1981). Director: Ed Bianchi.

Sally Ross (Lauren Bacall) is a former movie star turned theater actress who is just about to star in her first Broadway musical. She is still regretting her divorce from her ex-husband, Jake (James Garner), whom she still loves, and is shielded from annoying people and fans by her loyal secretary Emma (Maureen Stapleton). Her biggest problem, however, quickly becomes Douglas Breen (Michael Biehn), a deluded, mentally-disturbed fan boy who hopes to turn the middle-aged actress into his lover. Maybe if she had the chance to actually see him before he began slicing up her acquaintances with a straight-razor, but after that ...? Douglas takes violent exception to anyone who comes between him and his aging movie star crush, including Emma, Sally's dates, and other unfortunates. 

Old unmarried couple: Bacall; Garner

The Fan is somewhere between a psychological thriller and a slasher film, and apparently Bacall was not pleased that the original script became more violent in the style of the time. Basically playing herself, she's fine in the movie, and James Garner blandly saunters through without raising a sweat. Stapleton, Hector Elizondo and a few others are a bit more memorable, and Biehn, in his first major role, walks off with the movie. (This did him little good at the time as The Fan was a box office bomb.) Pino Donaggio's score helps a little in creating some excitement, but while the film's plot holds your attention, the direction lacks real style and energy. The song "Hearts and Diamonds," sung by Sally on opening night, won a  Razzie award but it may have had more to do with Bacall's horrible croaking of the tune than with the song itself. 

Verdict: A slasher film of sorts with more interesting elements than usual but ultimately not that memorable. **1/2. 

THE COUCH

Grant Williams

THE COUCH (1962). Director: Owen Crump

Charles Campbell (Grant Williams of The Monolith Monsters), psychiatric patient and ex-con, phones a police lieutenant (Simon Scott) and tells him he is going to kill someone exactly at 7 PM that evening -- and he does, more than once. Is there method to his madness? Campbell is dating Terry (Shirley Knight) -- the niece of his doctor (Onslow Stevens of Outside the Law) -- who also works as the shrink's receptionist, and boards in the home of the upbeat Mrs. Quimby (Hope Summers) and her nubile daughter Jean (Anne Helm). 

Shirley Knight with Williams

Robert Bloch scripted this post-Psycho "thriller" from an idea by Blake Edwards and director Crump but the results aren't as impressive as you might hope. Even though we know who the culprit is and what he'll do from the first (although there are still some minor surprises on that score), there are still plenty of opportunities for suspense, none of which are exploited that much by Crump, whose direction is generally uninspired. Frank Perkins' score is often quirky and interesting, but it does little to help the picture. On the plus side are the performances, with an especially notable Williams (The Incredible Shrinking Man) making a favorable impression, as does Knight. Another nifty element is that eerie old estate that is visited by the main couple while they're on a date. The amusing postscript is left to Hope Summers, who also scores as the sunny landlady who gets quite a shock at the finale. This is another movie that was in some ways influenced by Agatha Christie's classic "The A.B.C. Murders." Crump mostly directed documentaries and TV shows; this was his only American theatrical film.

Verdict: Williams certainly scores as an especially handsome psycho. **3/4. 

PSYCHO MOTHER-IN-LAW

Romy Rosemont as the psycho mother-in-law

PSYCHO MOTHER-IN-LAW (aka Mad Mom/2019 telefilm). Director: Jean-Francois Rivard. 

Sharon Vickers (Romy Rosemont) works as a nurse for hospice care and thinks nothing of helping her patients along on their journey to the other side. When her daughter, Amber (Victoria Diamond), gets engaged to Luke (Matthew Raudsepp), Sharon travels from Cleveland to Boston to meet Luke and his mother, Jill (Kari Matchett), staying in Jill's stylish and beautiful home. Sharon doesn't mind that the engagement party will take place at Jill's, but is distressed to learn that so will the wedding ceremony and reception, and that Jill has talked Amber out of wearing her mother's old-fashioned wedding dress. Fearing that she is being pushed out of the plans as well as her daughter's life, the paranoid sociopath embarks on a campaign to correct these perceived injustices. Before it all comes to a boil, things will definitely get out of hand ... 

Diamond, Raudsepp, Matchett

Psycho Mother-in-Law is essentially a fun, easy to take, Lifetime movie that is all too reminiscent of similar pictures. The two lead actors are more than competent, but let's face it, this kind of movie really cooks if you've got two very strong presences in the film, but obviously Bette Davis and Joan Crawford weren't available. The other cast members are all okay, with Salvatore Antonio making the best impression as Jill's gallery partner, Evan. When Sharon nurses Jill after an "accident," Jill seems to take forever to finally ask the unpleasant woman to leave, and while this may not be a slasher film, it's ridiculous that a sequence in which someone gets their throat cut displays virtually no blood. The musical score gives the film the energy that the direction lacks, but the closing theme is a little too Psycho-like to suit me. 

Verdict: At least the ending is neat! **1/2. 

THE EMBALMER

Pitiful victims of the Embalmer

THE EMBALMER (aka Il mostro di Venezia/The Monster of Venice/1965). Director: Dino Tavella.

In Venice an unknown figure in a scuba outfit is swimming the canals and popping out to grab innocent young women who are never seen again. In a sinister underground chamber this crazy embalms the women with his special formula -- to keep them beautiful forever -- and puts them on macabre display. In addition to the police, a reporter named Andrea (Luigi Martocci) investigates the crimes, and gets involved with Maureen (Maureen Brown), a brave woman who is the leader of an all-female tour group. Other characters include her elderly friend, Catherine (Paola Vaccari) and Catherine's nephew, Nicky (Elmo Caruso), an archeology professor. When Maureen investigates a passageway to the underground from a certain person's apartment, she finds herself in serious trouble. Will Andrea be able to save her? 

The Embalmer on the prowl

The Embalmer has a good and very macabre premise (later used in the film Amsterdamned), which is the movie's main strength, along with that great on-location Venetian atmosphere that serves the story so well. Dino Tavella's direction is generally uninspired and slow, with some sequences and takes going on much too long. Another problem is the musical score, which is effective in some spots and horribly overdone and overly bombastic in others. The killer in this wears a cowl and hood and a skull-like face mask, and not only swims the canals but prowls the dank underground recesses of Venice. In this dubbed version the heroine is called "Maureen," which is actually the name of the actress. Director Tavella and stars Martocci and Brown each did only two films apiece. 

Verdict: Despite its flaws, this is rather creepy and interesting, with a downbeat ending. ***. 

IN THE DEVIL'S GARDEN

Suzy Kendall

IN THE DEVIL'S GARDEN (aka Assault/1971). Director: Sidney Hayers. 

A girl, Tessa (Lesley-Anne Down), is sexually assaulted in the woods and is so traumatized that she is unable to speak. Then another girl is not only raped but murdered. Dr. Lomax (James Laurenson) tries to get through to the mute girl without success. Detective Velyan (Frank Finlay of Lifeforce) is frustrated by the lack of clues in the case when Julie West (Suzy Kendall of Torso), the arts teacher at the nearby girls' school, gets a glimpse of the killer, but can only describe him as being "like the Devil." Nevertheless she, a reporter (Freddie Jones) and Velyan and his associates cook up a plan to use the brave Julie as a decoy. Meanwhile there are a few suspects, including the headmistress's sleazy husband, Leslie (Tony Beckley of Beware My Brethren), and even Dr. Lomax and some of the police officers. Julie discovers that the killer is much closer than anyone realizes ... 

Frank Finlay and James Laurenson

In the Devi's Garden, originally released under the dull title Assault, is an interesting and suspenseful thriller with some solid performances. The ending is dragged out a bit too much, and the identity of the killer is telegraphed a bit too soon, but there are some intriguing developments nevertheless. Lesley-Anne Down was introduced in this film -- it was actually her fourth movie -- and is unrecognizable at 17. James Cosmo, Dilys Hamlett, Patrick Jordan, and Anthony Ainley also have significant roles. Sidney Hayers also directed Circus of Horrors.

Verdict: Reasonably worthwhile suspense-thriller. **3/4. 

WATCH ME WHEN I KILL

 WATCH ME WHEN I KILL (aka Il gatto dagli occhi di giada/1977). Director: Antonio Bido. 

Mara (Paola Tedesco), an actress who needs some aspirin, is nearly on the scene when a pharmacist is murdered, and the killer seems to think she knows more than she does. When another person is brutally murdered, her boyfriend Lukas (Corrrado Pani), thinks it all may have to do with a jury trial and a murderer who has escaped from prison. Upon further investigation -- and more murders -- Lukas realizes that there is something very different at play here. But will he arrive at the solution before either he or Mara become victims of the killer?

Watch Me When I Kill is an intriguing and suspenseful movie with a convoluted plot and solution that reminds one quite a bit of the storylines of Dario Argento's movies. Alas, director Antonio Bido is not Argento, and aside from one energetic if clumsy bathtub murder (with opera in the background), the film doesn't have much style. Lukas spends an awful lot of time running around from place to place asking questions. An unusual aspect of the movie is that for once the killer has a perfectly plausible motive for snuffing certain individuals. The screenplay is not strictly logical, however. 

Verdict: Take with a grain of salt and this is quite entertaining. ***.  

FINAL SUMMER

The killer on the loose!

FINAL SUMMER (2023). Written, directed and produced by John Isberg. 

A young boy is somehow accidentally killed on the last day of summer camp, and counselor Lexi (Jenna Kohn), whose younger brother was run over years ago, feels responsible (as well she should). Not much later a man wearing a skull mask and carrying an ax, begins murdering the other counselors at Camp Silver Lake. Could it be the strange Warren Copper (Robert Gerard Anderson), the camp handyman, whose grandson was killed? A variety of young men and women try to survive while the maniac stalks them and the suspense mounts ... 

Jenna Kohn as Lexi

As Friday the 13th clones go, Final Summer is by no means terrible. The acting is generally good, there are some genuinely tense sequences, and the flick boasts some excellent, moody cinematography (also by director John Isberg). Isberg's screenplay, however, lets the movie -- and movie-goer -- down, as he tries to be too clever, perhaps in hopes of coming out with a sequel. There are too many illogical and confusing moments and anti-climaxes, and I don't know what the hell the killer's motivation was when the ultimate architect behind the murders is revealed (a homage to the original Friday). It is also never explained why the likable Peter (well-played by Wyatt Taber) is captured instead of killed, aside from the fact that the audience may be rooting for him. The ending is way too dragged out. One assumes nobody uses a cell phone because the film takes place in 1991, before their widespread use. While there is plenty of violence, gore geeks will be disappointed that the movie is never bloody disgusting. Thom Mathews, who briefly plays Sheriff Parmer, was Tommy Jarvis in Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives. 

Verdict: Slasher flick just misses. **1/2. 

MY TEACHER, MY OBSESSION

Rusty Joiner ignites his student's interest

MY TEACHER, MY OBSESSION (aka Dad Crush/2018 telefilm). Director: Damian Romay.  

Single dad and high school English teacher Chris (Rusty Joiner) moves with his daughter, Riley (Laura Bilgeri), to a new community where she meets a sullen classmate named Kyla (Lucy Loken). Kyla warns her new friend that mean girl Tricia (Alexandria DeBerry) has got a big crush on her father, and doesn't want her becoming friends with her. But Kyla has also noticed how "hot" the new teach is, and she is rather put out when he starts dating her mother (Jana Lee Hamblin). Kyla determines to change this appalling situation any way she can, and get her hooks into hunky Chris come Hell or high water. 

Chris confronts his daughter

Movies like My Teacher, My Obsession can be a lot of trashy fun, they can be handled with some adult sophistication, or they can be neither, which is the case with this bit of treacle. My Teacher is modestly absorbing but it never develops into anything that entertaining or trenchant. The performances are adequate, and even good at times, although some of the cast members could have shown more emotion at certain points given the circumstances. Kyla's homicidal psychosis seems to come out of nowhere, but characterization is not the telefilm's strong point. Rusty Joiner is a model who turned to acting with mixed results.  

Verdict: Good-looking cast helps put this over ... barely. **. 

EATER BUNNY MASSACRE: THE BLOODY TRAIL

EASTER BUNNY MASSACRE: THE BLOODY TRAIL (aka Easter Bunny Massacre 2/Easter Killing 2/2022). Director: Jeremy Chi-Hang Au. 

Star (Coco Taylor) and her boyfriend Mark (Harry Boxley, who also wrote the screenplay) go to a five-year reunion party of some old high school friends. The hostess and her boyfriend have already been murdered (in a fairly dull pre-credit sequence), so the bitchy Carla (Charlie Esquer) has taken over. Other guests include Danny (Elliott Eason), Dina (Natasha Rose Mills), Alex (Amber Doig-Thorne) and so on. They all freak out when a tape recording is played and out comes the voice of the dead Lexi (Jenny Miller), who may have committed suicide five years before or may have been murdered after her drink was spiked. Then someone in a ragged bunny suit comes after the group, murdering them one by one. 

The Bloody Trail is a sequel to -- or remake of -- Easter Bunny Massacre as both films basically have the exact same plot. Like the first film, it is an amalgam of Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer, and has little originality. A somewhat interesting aspect is that there is a gay male couple in the film but you don't know who they are until the flick is nearly over. The cast perform admirably considering that their characters are only lightly sketched in. Charlie Esquer is certainly vivid as the very mean girl Carla, although one could argue that she overplays badly at times, but Elliott Eason hits the mark as the heavily-tattooed Danny. The movie isn't well-paced, but once you get past the tedium of the opening minutes, it will either cast a strange spell on you -- a kind of bad movie voodoo -- or put you to sleep. The flick isn't particularly good but it does have some suspense and surprises. 

Verdict: The bunny outfit in this one isn't very scary. **1/4. 

TOTALLY KILLER

TOTALLY KILLER (2023). Director: Nahnatchka Khan. On Amazon Prime.

35 years ago three 16-year-old girls were butchered by an unknown maniac eventually christened the "sweet 16" killer. Although one young lady, Pam (Julie Bowen), received a threatening note, she was spared -- until the killer shows up again in 2023 and kills her. Pam's grieving daughter, Jamie (Kiernan Shipka), seeks shelter in a time machine built by a friend when the killer pursues her, and inadvertently winds up back in the past on the very day the first murder is to occur. She decides to do everything she can to not only save her mother from her ultimate fate, but save the other girls as well. But it won't be easy, as her teenage mother (Olivia Holt) and her friends are basically all "mean girls." She also finds out that events are not unfolding exactly as they did in the past, meaning no one is safe ...

While I could have done without the film's flippant approach -- obviously trying to come off like a Scream movie -- I must say that the screenplay has some inventive and clever aspects to it. There's a very good sequence dealing with a "Quantum Drop" spaceship ride in the carnival, and more than one good twist. The identity of the killer is a complete surprise but there are still a couple of surprises even after the maniac, who actually has a solid motive, is unmasked. However, haven't we all had enough of mean girls and dumb jocks in horror movies? Shipka and the rest of the cast go through their paces competently. There are frequent references to Back to the Future. 

Verdict: Despite the sillier aspects, this is a decent time-travel slasher movie. ***. 

EASTER BUNNY MASSACRE

EASTER BUNNY MASSACRE (aka Easter Killing/2021). Director: Jack Peter Mundy. NOTE: Not to be confused with Easter Bunny Massacre: The Bloody Trail.  

A group of high school friends on a camping trip over Easter have to deal with the antics of "bad girl" Heather (Antonia Whillans), who is stabbed to death by someone wearing a weird rabbit mask. (Somehow blood spatter gets all over virtually the entire cast, something which is never explained). The rest of the group -- Neil (Tom Nyugen), Carl (Michael Hoad), Amy (May Kelly), Tom (Genna Lostkutnikov), and Jane (Sarah T. Cohen) -- decide to hide Heather's body and cover up the murder because it might prevent them from going to "Uni" (college) or something along those lines. A year later these people -- all of whom look like they are several years out of college let alone high school -- receive invitations to an isolated cabin from -- you guessed it -- Heather. Strangely, they all show up -- along with Amy's brother, Marty (Lee Hancock) and Neil's girlfriend, Maria (Beatrice Fletcher), who wants to know what the hell is going on. Then someone wearing a bunny fright mask starts stalking all of them ... 

Michael Hoad as Carl

While the plot is workable. the direction and editing of the film is off the mark. The characters are probably better developed than in other films of this nature, but the slow pacing may have you searching for the fast-forward function. There are also severe continuity problems, especially an attack scene that just seems to stop dead for no reason. The plot is an amalgam of I Know What You Did Last Summer with a solution that reminds one of the Scream movies, but Easter Bunny Massacre is in no way as entertaining or as slick as those movies. Surprisingly, the acting in this is uniformly good, better than the script deserves. A particular stand out is Michael Hoad as Carl, who has genuine screen presence. Antonia Whillans scores as the bitchy "tramp" who gets herself sliced, and May Kelly makes a positive impression as well. I must say that the furry bunny mask in which the murders are committed is much more creepy than you might imagine.

Verdict: Twisted British horror film with some points of interest but ultimately doesn't quite, ahem, cut it. **1/4. 

SO SAD ABOUT GLORIA

Lori Saunders

SO SAD ABOUT GLORIA (1973). Director: Harry Thomason. NOTE: Some plot points are revealed in this review.

Wealthy Gloria (Lori Saunders) is released from a sanitarium and into the care of her Uncle Fred (Dean Jagger). Apparently she was traumatized when she saw her father die, although the details regarding this are never explained. She meets a novelist named Chris (Robert Ginnaven) and the two quickly fall in love. They move into a house where a young lady was axed to death (a bloody but not terribly graphic sequence depicted early in the movie). When she learns about the still unsolved murder, Gloria becomes a little unhinged, and keeps hearing music even though Chris hears nothing. When Chris goes into town to meet with his publisher, Gloria is left alone in the house as fate rapidly rushes up to engulf her ... 

Robert Ginnaven

The biggest problem with the clumsily directed and edited So Sad About Gloria isn't that you can see the twist coming from a mile away, but that the film leaves the viewer dangling. I have no problem in relating that the identity of the aforementioned axe murderer, who apparently appears twice, is never 

revealed. Although the big scene is the murder of the young woman, we never learn the slightest thing about her, not even her name! Aside from Dean Jagger and Seymour Treitman, who plays a sort of handyman, the acting throughout is too often very stilted and unreal. Furthermore, there are far too many annoying flashbacks showing an axe chopping at chains wrapped around a coffin, with no explanation for this forthcoming. To be fair, there are a couple of suspenseful sequences. Harry Thomason, who directed and produced this and other terrible films, fled to television where he produced Designing Women, The Fall Guy, and others. 

Verdict: Lowercase suspense film. **. 

FRIGHT

 FRIGHT (1971). Director: Peter Collinson. 

Amanda (Susan George) comes to an isolated mansion to babysit the little son, Tara (Tara Collinson), of Helen Lloyd (Honor Blackman of Account Rendered) and her husband, Jim (George Cole). Helen's ex-husband, Brian (Ian Bannen), the father of Tara, has been institutionalized since he tried to murder both Helen and their son. As the Lloyds have dinner and talk things over with Brian's shrink, Dr. Cordell (John Gregson), Amanda has the feeling that someone is stalking the grounds of the estate. A wannabee boyfriend, Chris (Dennis Waterman), shows up, wanting sex, but there's a far worse visitor in store for the terrified babysitter.

Fright has some genuine scenes of suspense, tension and creepiness, but the final quarter is far too drawn out, so that you're almost screaming for the damn thing to finally be over. Susan George gives a generally good performance, while Blackman and Ian Bannen are really top-notch. Bannen, in particular, seems always on the edge of a terrible violence. The film is rather unpleasant, however, and some may not enjoy the fact that a small child is endangered throughout. The boy is portrayed by the director's own four-year-old son. Another problem with the film is that it has several illogical moments. In at least one sequence you have to wonder why the heroine doesn't just run out the back door? Collinson also directed the 1974 version of Ten Little Indians for producer Harry Alan Towers.

Verdict: Comes quite close but somehow drops the ball. **1/4. 

 

SLEUTH (2007)

Michael Caine and Jude Law

SLEUTH (2007). Director: Kenneth Branagh.

Andrew Wyke (Michael Caine of Jack the Ripper), a best-selling mystery author, greets an unusual guest at his front door: Milo Tindle (Jude Law of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow), who happens to be his wife's lover. Milo hopes that Andrew will grant his wife a divorce and make things easier for everyone, but Andrew has a different plan. He wants Milo to steal his wife's jewels, get the cash so he can finance his girlfriend's expensive tastes, while Andrew will win a big cash pay-out from the insurance company. Milo goes along with this but could discover that Andrew's plans for him are much more sinister than he imagines. Then Inspector Doppler rings the doorbell ... 

Jude Law, not Helmut Berger

This remake of the 1972 Sleuth casts Michael Caine in the role originally played by Lawrence Olivier. While Caine can't quite compare to Olivier, he is still excellent, as is Law as Milo, who in this version is an actor (which makes more sense than his being a hairdresser as in the original). This version has a screenplay by Harold Pinter, who discards Andrew's obsession with games and curious memorabilia, and makes significant changes to the third act. Pinter adds a psychosexual element, a homoerotic tension between the two men, that may be completely faked by both parties or have some underlying truth to it. (The role of Milo would have been perfect for a young Helmut Berger.) In the long run, it doesn't matter, as this whole business just comes off as contrived, phony and unconvincing. As in the first version, the wife never appears, although she does arrive at the door, unseen, in the remake. Considering Pinter's touches -- that is the supposed, somewhat silly, bisexual twists in this -- you half expect RuPaul to walk through the front door (wouldn't that have been a trip!) Yes, the remake might as well have gone all the way and made the unseen lover a man. Sleuth should best be viewed as a splendid acting exercise for two very talented thespians. Jude Law also reprised a role originally played by Caine when he starred in the superior remake of Alfie. 

Verdict: Very well-acted, edgier than the original and less comical, but still not as good. **1/2. 

ORPHAN: FIRST KILL

Isabelle Fuhrman

ORPHAN: FIRST KILL (2022). Director: William Brent Bell. 

In this prequel to Orphan, a psychotic young lady (Isabelle Fuhrman) escapes from a mental institution overseas, and manages to take the place of a missing American child named Esther to the initial joy of the family. "Esther" now has a new mother (Julia Chiles), father (Rossif Sutherland), with whom she falls in love, and older brother Gunnar (Matthew Finlan). Unfortunately for Esther a child psychologist (Samantha Walkes) and a Detective Donnan originally assigned to the case (Hiro Kanagawa), have their suspicions. But they may not have them for long.

Rossif Sutherland

Since the big reveal of the first film (which actually takes place after this film) is no longer a secret, First Kill has come up with its own twists and surprises. These may be a bit far-fetched, but they work within the confines of this type of horror picture. Isabelle Furhman is excellent as the clever and crazy Esther, but she is not a child actress any longer, being 23 or so when she filmed this prequel. (In the first film she was about 12.) Julia Stiles offers a terrific performance in a difficult role, and she is matched by Sutherland (son of Donald) and Finlan. The action and murder sequences are well-staged and the film moves at a brisk pace.

Verdict: A sequel/prequel that is as entertaining as the original. ***. 

TOO SCARED TO SCREAM

TOO SCARED TO SCREAM (1984). Director: Tony Lo Bianco. Produced by Mike Connors.

Lt. Alex Dinardo (Mike Connors), his partner Frank (Leon Isaac Kennedy), and undercover policewoman Kate Bridges (Anne Archer of Fatal Attraction) investigate a series of gruesome murders at the tony Royal Arms high rise apartment house in Manhattan. Their one and only suspect is doorman Vincent (Ian McShane), who is decidedly strange, was there at the time of all of the killings, and lives with his crippled mother (Maureen O'Sullivan in a silent role). But could someone else be responsible for these slayings?

Too Late to Scream isn't quite what you could call a slasher film, because the murders are as tasteful as anything on television, and despite the use of a knife and mentions of dismemberment in one of the killings, nothing distasteful is ever shown. With a scarcity of suspects the film only begins to work up real suspense in the final few minutes when the killer and the motive behind the murders are  finally revealed. Mike Connors, who also produced the film, offers an acceptable if listless performance, Archer is better, there are some good character actors in vignettes, and Ian McShane basically walks off with the movie. The main problem with the flick is that the screenplay betrays little real knowledge of police methods and everything just seems rather perfunctory. Working as director, Tony Lo Bianco offers a workmanlike, if uninspired, job, although some of the very brief murder sequences aren't badly handled. One could argue that the motive and solution to this is borderline homophobic.

Verdict: Interesting cast and situations, an exciting climax, but there's something missing here. **1/2.

PARTY FROM HELL

Jackie Moore as Molly

PARTY FROM HELL (2021). Director: Jared Cohn. 

Denise (April Martucci) is planning to launch a new interface for her company with her sister-in-law, Ashley (Veronika Issa) -- bolstered by seven million from entrepreneur Peter (Eric Roberts) -- and a major party is planned for the event. Denise literally bumps into a party planner named Molly (Jackie Moore) and hires her to put the launch party together. At the tasting session, things don't go so well when Peter's allergy to peanuts sends him to the hospital -- no peanut products were supposed to be in the appetizers -- and things get worse from there. Ashley disappears as a vengeful Molly starts a campaign to not only destroy Denise but everyone around her, including her daughter Grace (Nicolette Langley) and husband, Josh (Matthew Pohlkamp). Molly takes no prisoners, even framing the nice black employee, Liam (DeShaude Barner) for theft of a corporate credit card. 

April Martucci

To be frank, Party from Hell isn't very good but it is entertaining, which counts for something. The actors are competent, although none of the performances stand out. Molly is the latest in a long line of sociopaths with a grudge -- in this case she hates a group of girls who tormented her in school and has already disposed of several of them. The story proceeds at a good pace, but is devoid of style or real tension. There's no elan to the murder sequences. As for primary victim Denise she fires Liam without doing any investigating, and gets absolutely hysterical because Josh has some lipstick on his collar after a party in a bar -- she's not too tightly wrapped, either. 

Verdict: Plan your next party yourself! **1/4.